


Those Who Have Seen Your Face

by AislingKaye



Series: Naruto Oneshots [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Akatsuki!Sannin, Anal Sex, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Arranged Marriage, Blindfolds, Eros and Psyche Myth, Families of Choice, Fix-It of Sorts, Gentle Sex, HBIC Konan, Kinda, M/M, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Praise Kink, Riding, Strangers to Lovers, Topping from the Bottom, but only a little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-07-08 03:13:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15921618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AislingKaye/pseuds/AislingKaye
Summary: Umino Iruka has been chosen to marry the stranger 'Tobi' to cement the alliance between him and Konohagakure. His new husband asks very little of him, he discovers - only that he not try to see his face.Every shinobi has their quirks, so Iruka doesn't mind that too much.But accidents happen, and suddenly Iruka has so much more to deal with than a mystery husband.Eros&Psyche-esque oneshot.





	Those Who Have Seen Your Face

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blackkat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/gifts).
  * Inspired by [i who would build a star](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15875088) by [blackkat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat). 



> The start of blackkat's "I who would build a star" seemed very much like the myth of Eros & Psyche, so I thought - hey, let's do something more along the lines of the myth.  
> I kinda failed at that, but I like what I ended up with.

It wasn't the first choice, Iruka knew. Not his, not the Hokage's – not even the first choice of the one who had suggested it.

He didn't even know how the option had even been brought into the equation, but he supposed it didn't matter, now. The decision had been made, Iruka had been chosen, and he was being married off to the stranger who claimed custody of all the underage jinchuuriki in order to cement said stranger's alliance with Konohagakure.

Iruka didn't know why he'd been chosen – surely there were other, more enticing options of spouse than a chuunin Academy instructor?

Or perhaps him being an Academy instructor was part of the reason he'd been chosen – the stranger, Tobi according to the Sandaime, was guardian to four children under twelve, and that couldn't be an easy task. If that was part of the reason behind the choice, fair enough, but it didn't explain why Iruka.

Sure, he was (apparently) close in age to Tobi, but so was Mizuki. Mizuki was more eye-catching than Iruka, with his silver hair and dark eyes, so why not him?

But whatever the reason, why he of all people had been chosen as Tobi's spouse-to-be, it wasn't going to change. The Third had been kind enough to make it sound like he had the choice, the opportunity to refuse, but Iruka knew better. He was a Konoha shinobi first and foremost, and his purpose was to do what was best for the village. In this case, agreeing to an arranged marriage was what was best for Konoha.

He still wondered what had caused  _marriage_  to be brought into the equation, but he wasn't going to (get the chance to) change his mind so it was rather irrelevant now.

 

So here he was, garbed in traditional wedding clothing, standing before the Hokage as he and his spouse-to-be went through the ceremony that would bind them legally for the rest of their lives.

It was dark, the only people in attendence being the Hokage and those who stood in as witnesses, and it made Iruka silently – somewhat hysterically – wonder if he was going to be whisked off into the night with no sign left of his existence.

The final sake cup was emptied and put back into its place, and Iruka dared lift his head enough to glance up at his now-spouse.

The man was masked, an orange swirl of porcelain with only one eye-hole, but he was looking back at Iruka. The chuunin lowered his gaze, somewhat embarrassed to have been caught looking, and turned his full attention back to the Hokage.

"Come, there are papers to be signed," Sarutobi said quietly, standing, and Iruka startled a little when a gloved hand came into his line of sight.

He looked up, and met his new husband's eye. Tobi didn't move, and Iruka hesitantly placed his hand in the one offered to him. He was pulled gently to his feet, and then that same gloved hand came to cup his elbow.

Iruka's mind was racing, thoughts cycling through the same few questions even as he followed his new husband to the Sandaime's office.

Why did he do that? What did he want from Iruka? What papers did he have to sign and why? What was going to happen now?

There were no answers waiting for him.

 

Contracts and papers signed, Iruka yelped in shock when his new husband swept him up off his feet, their surroundings shifting and changing, becoming some blank grey world for just a moment before the shifting subsided to reveal a large, sprawling complex amidst a forest that teemed with life.

"Come, this way," Tobi said, placing Iruka back on his feet, and the man strode off before Iruka could speak. He huffed faintly and followed Tobi through the gates, eyes darting every which-way in an attempt to figure out what, exactly, had just happened. He'd clearly been transported somewhere, but where?

"Tobi-nii!" a young, familiar voice called, and Iruka's head shot up in surprise as a little blonde blur slammed into the legs of the masked man in front of him. Big blue eyes glanced past Tobi's cloak, and then widened hugely. "Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka couldn't help but smile, crouching to be closer to the child's level.

"Hello, Naruto," he greeted gently, his usual fondness for the little boy welling up inside him. He had, admittedly, been worried when the child disappeared, and even knowing intellectually that he was with Tobi hadn't made him worry any less.

"Naruto, I still need to show Iruka the compound," Tobi said, voice calm. "And you should be in bed." Naruto pouted, but then shrugged, hugged Tobi's legs, and then darted off with a cry of 'goodnight, Iruka-sensei, Tobi-nii!'. Just before he was out of Iruka's sight, a taller, pale-blonde figure swept him up and disappeared into the nearest house. From Tobi's reaction, this was normal, and so Iruka didn't react to the stranger.

"He looks well," Iruka murmured, standing, and Tobi's head turned towards him slightly. His face was still hidden by the porcelain mask.

"He is treated well here," Tobi said shortly, tone vastly more curt than it had been with Naruto, and Iruka inclined his head once, briefly, in reluctant acknowledgement. "This way."

Iruka followed.

 

Tobi led him to an office inside the largest of the buildings, and Iruka sat slowly when Tobi waved a hand at the opposite side of the desk to where he had seated himself.

"Before anything else, here is a copy of the contract," Tobi began, voice still rough and short as he passed a scroll across the table. Iruka took it, unrolling it to skim and make sure it was the same as the one he had signed.

It was.

The stipulation that Iruka would care for the jinchuuriki children, that he and Tobi would share quarters, that Iruka would not pass on information to Konoha that was not approved of by Tobi – all the same.

"There is something I would ask of you that I did not put into the contract," Tobi said, and Iruka looked up at him with a faint frown. "I intend to leave you to your own devices more often than not, but I will come to you in the evenings. In order for both of our lives to run as smoothly as possible, I ask that you do not attempt to see my face."

That was, admittedly, a bit of a surprise, but considering how guarded the man was and how he had yet to be seen without his porcelain mask, Iruka recovered quickly.

"I will attempt not to do so on purpose," he agreed, and Tobi's shoulders relaxed.

"Thank you." Tobi stood. "It is late. I will introduce you to the children in the morning." He held out his hand again to Iruka, and with a much shorter hesitation than the last time, Iruka took it and let the other man pull him to his feet. "I will show you to our quarters."

Ah. Iruka knew he'd been forgetting something.

The wedding night.

 

Iruka knew his new husband didn't want him to see his face, so when the man hesitated by the bedside, Iruka very deliberately closed his eyes. He held out his hands towards Tobi, towards where the man had been standing before he shut his eyes, and through his eyelids the dimming of light let him know that the lights had been turned off. The only remaining light was coming through the windows, the silvery glow of a full moon, but that was enough to see by so Iruka kept his eyes shut.

He waited, patient, and was rewarded by the feeling of gloved hands coming to rest in his outheld palms. He carefully closed his fingers around his husband's hands, his eyes staying shut the entire time, and tugged ever-so-lightly on the hands he held to coax his lover-to-be closer.

A warm body moved into his space, close enough that Iruka could  _almost_  feel the length of his husband's body next to his, and a warm, shaky breath brushed across his lips. He tilted his head slightly, a silent offering, and after a second of hesitation there were lips pressing to his almost chastely.

They held there, barely moving, just getting used to each other, and then Iruka felt Tobi's hands slide out of his, instead coming to settle on Iruka's hips.

"We should go to bed," his husband said, lips only centimetres from Iruka's, his voice very faintly shaky. Iruka nodded, and then put his hands on Tobi's shoulders, sliding them down the other man's chest until he found the hem of his shirt.

Tobi's breath hitched.

"I would not object to consummating this marriage," Iruka said quietly, honestly. "But if you would rather wait, then it can wait."

There was a long silence.

"Not tonight," Tobi said finally, voice rough again. His hands moved from Iruka's hips, grasping the chuunin's hands and holding them firm as he took a step back. "It is late."

"Alright."

Perhaps tomorrow, then. The alliance was sealed, but Iruka didn't like leaving things unfinished, and technically their marriage wasn't official until it was consummated. But he wouldn't push. He would like to build something with this stranger he had married, rather than treating it as a chore or prison, but that would take time.

He could be patient, though. He could let Tobi come to him.

 

The next dozen or so days passed quickly. Tobi had only lingered long enough the next morning to introduce Iruka to the four jinchuuriki he had claimed guardianship over, and then had disappeared to do... whatever it was he had to do. That left Iruka with four children to look after and get to know, all the while wondering what he was expected to do other than care for the children.

He'd better have  _something_  to do, or he'd go stir-crazy. For the moment, though, he just spent time with the children and learned his way around the compound.

Naruto was as much a little ray of sunshine as Iruka remembered, although now he was joined by an absolute sweetheart named Gaara. Gaara was mostly silent and incredibly shy, sticking close to Naruto and regarding Iruka with wariness for a good three days. When Iruka asked Tobi, he found out that Gaara was almost a year younger than Naruto, and thus the baby of the four.

Then there were the two girls – little green-haired Fuu, formerly of Takigakure, and pale-blonde Yugito, formerly of Kumo. It had been Yugito Iruka saw the night he arrived, as she was the eldest of the children and usually took on the role of caretaker when Tobi wasn't around. Both girls were wary of him at first, just as Gaara was, but when Iruka showed consistency in how he treated them, they started to warm up to him.

So Iruka spent the majority of his days with the children, learning about their likes and dislikes, teaching them the skills they had yet to acquire or needed more work on, and just generally parenting them best he could.

His nights were... quiet. Tobi always came to his – their? – room after Iruka had undressed and settled into bed, and Iruka always closed his eyes the moment Tobi reached for his mask. While Iruka was curious, he wouldn't undermine the trust that had started to build between them. Each night, Tobi would slip into the bed behind Iruka and curl around him, Iruka's back to Tobi's front, and press a light kiss to the back of Iruka's neck. They would fall asleep like that more often than not, and without fail Tobi would be gone by the time Iruka woke up.

He'd grown fond of the man, especially when he saw how Tobi interacted with the children.

Tobi acted gruff, but he was always gentle with the four jinchuuriki, even though they were sturdy little brats.

(Iruka had almost had a heart attack when Fuu jumped off a roof, but she'd been perfectly fine).

He always made time for them, even if it was just to let them know he didn't have the time to play or talk at that particular moment. And he was kind to them, always letting them hug him or climb all over him, ruffling their hair in return or setting a light hand on a shoulder in support or approval.

Iruka might just be a  _tiny_  bit in love with how Tobi treated the kids.

Sometimes, during the day, Tobi would randomly appear beside Iruka while the once-chuunin was watching the children play, settling down beside Iruka and hesitantly starting a conversation. Iruka always responded, always did his best to make sure his husband knew that he welcomed the mysterious man's presence, and by the end of the second week he was certain his efforts were paying off. He enjoyed Tobi's company, enjoyed their conversations and the way the other man gravitated towards him at night for warmth.

The night that Tobi arrived before Iruka had turned out the lights, Iruka knew that they would not be going straight to sleep.

 

Iruka tilted his head slightly, thoughtful, when Tobi slipped into the room silently. He smiled in greeting, and continued removing his shirt as if the other man hadn't changed their routine. He thought he heard a gulp when he dropped his trousers to the floor, but decided to ignore it as he tugged the tie from his hair.

The lights flicked off, and Iruka stilled. He heard rustling, the sound of clothing being removed, and heard the soft  _'clink'_  as Tobi set his porcelain mask down on the bedside table.

Then a body, familiar now after two weeks of sleeping curled up together, pressed up against his back as strong arms slid around his waist. Iruka closed his eyes, leaning back into his husband as his hands came to settle on the mismatched pair around his waist.

Slightly-chapped lips pressed to his cheek, the corner of his mouth, his lips, and Iruka turned into the kiss with a content hum.

"May I?" Tobi asked, voice rough, hands slipping down just a little, and Iruka laced the fingers of their left hands together.

"You may," Iruka responded calmly, and slid their joined hands down to where his cock was steadily hardening. It was sensual, being unable to see his partner, to be touched so much with so little intent, and the nights spent pressed up against this man had been a tease.

But not a tease any longer, especially if that erection pressing against his ass was any indication.

Iruka's breath hitched slightly as their hands came into contact with his cock. His head fell back a little, onto Tobi's shoulder, and he turned his head to press his mouth to Tobi's jaw. His husband let out a ragged breath, hand almost hesitant as it closed around Iruka's erection, and Iruka hummed approvingly.

"I haven't..." here Tobi paused, and Iruka resisted the instinctual urge to open his eyes in order to check his husband's facial expression. "I don't..."

"Tell me what's wrong, husband," Iruka murmured, and he felt the deep breath Tobi took.

"I've only ever..." he paused, then took another breath that was most definitely an attempt to steel his nerves. "I've only had sex once before, and it wasn't pleasant."

Iruka went still for a second, and then pressed back into his husband's body.

"Tell me honestly," he said, voice quiet but firm, "do you want to have sex with me?"

"Yes." Tobi's voice was hoarse, still quiet, but resonated with honesty.

"Top or bottom?" Iruka didn't have a definite preference, though he did enjoy turning his partners into an overstimulated wreck, so if his husband had a preference that would be best for their first time together.

"I don't know."

"Do you have any objections to receiving?" Iruka thought it best to be blunt, best to just outright ask instead of trying to allude to his meaning. Even if he couldn't see his partner, it may be best for him, as the more experienced one, to be in charge and in control. Not that he couldn't do that if he was the one receiving, but it was easier for him to control himself if he wasn't.

"...no," Tobi whispered, and Iruka smiled as he pressed a kiss to his husband and soon-to-be-lover's lips. "But I don't want you to look."

"That won't be a problem," Iruka assured him, letting his arms drop to wrap around his husband's waist instead. "Come to bed, husband, and let me take care of you." Tobi's breath hitched, and Iruka let a wicked little smile curve his lips. "If you're that worried about me seeing you, you can blindfold me."

That spurred his husband into action, and Iruka laughed a little as he was lifted and almost thrown onto the bed they had shared platonically for over two weeks.

Iruka let his body splay out, stretching his arms over his head and letting his muscles tense and relax in a display previous lovers had quite enjoyed, and he was gratified to hear the hitch in Tobi's breathing.

And then a light piece of cloth settled across his eyes, and Iruka went still – while staying relaxed – as his husband tied the cloth carefully around his head.

Strong thighs settled astride Iruka's hips, and he lowered his arms to stroke up from knee to hip, curving around to grip his husband's rather fine ass. Tobi settled against him more, hands sliding along Iruka's chest to come to rest just either side of his shoulders, and Iruka hummed appreciatively as Tobi kissed him slow and sweet. He squeezed the firm cheeks in his hands.

"Would you like me to prepare you, or do you want to do that yourself?" he asked quietly when Tobi pulled back a bit to breathe, and he felt the man over him tremble. "Tell me, husband." His tone was firm, not allowing any kind of argument, and Tobi gave a tiny little whine as he pressed his entire body against Iruka's.

"You, please," Tobi whispered, voice trembling as much as his body was, and Iruka resisted the urge to coo. It was hard to connect this uncertain, insecure man to the mysterious, powerful, jinchuuriki-kidnapping figure he'd portrayed to the Hidden Villages.

"Good boy." The words were instinctive, almost out of nowhere, and both Iruka and Tobi froze as soon as they passed Iruka's lips.

Then Tobi whimpered, body going almost lax where he was sprawled over Iruka, and Iruka relaxed again. He squeezed his husband's ass again, just because he could, and turned his head towards where Tobi's was resting on one of his shoulders. He stretched just far enough to kiss whatever part of his husband's face that he could reach – probably his cheek, possibly his forehead – and then nuzzled him lightly.

"Come on," he murmured, "Sit up so I can prepare you properly, okay?"

Tobi shuddered but obeyed, pushing himself up until the only part of him on Iruka's chest was his hands.

"Good boy," Iruka said again, getting one of those delightful whines and shivers, and he smiled as he let one hand slide down between Tobi's cheeks. His index finger slid down, stroked and gently probed until he found the tight little furl of muscle he was searching for. "Is there anything to ease the way?"

"Drawer," Tobi whispered, and Iruka tilted his head pointedly. Tobi leaned to Iruka's right, and the blindfolded man heard a drawer open. There was some rustling, and then Tobi was pressing a tube into Iruka's hand.

Iruka quickly and somewhat messily slicked up one hand, and then pressed one finger back to that tight furl. He circled the tense muscle with a fingertip, stroking and gently probing until Tobi relaxed above him, and his finger slid inside to the second knuckle.

Tobi shuddered, practically collapsing onto Iruka, and he reached up with his free hand to tug the man down for a kiss. Tobi reciprocated eagerly, willingly, and Iruka smiled a bit as he stroked over his husband's rim with his middle finger. Tobi sighed into the kiss, and Iruka eased the tip of the second finger into Tobi's relaxing body.

It was difficult to restrain himself, difficult to resist the urge to just flip his husband over and take him, but Iruka didn't want to harm his lover in any way. He pushed down his arousal as much as possible, instead focusing on stretching his shaking lover. He crooked his fingers once two were inside Tobi, taking only a few seconds to locate his husband's prostate and then stroking mercilessly over the sensitive gland until Tobi was a quivering, whimpering mess atop him. Tobi's thighs were trembling with strain, his cock leaking where it rubbed against Iruka's belly, and Iruka reached up with his free hand to tug his lover down into a tender kiss.

Their lips moved together easily, Tobi panting into Iruka's mouth when the once-chuunin pressed firmly on Tobi's prostate and got a moan for his efforts. Iruka slipped his tongue into his partner's mouth, flicking over Tobi's palete and stroking along his tongue, distracting his husband as he worked a third finger carefully into him.

Tobi whined, pressing back against Iruka's hand, and the blindfolded man murmured jumbled reassurances, stroking his other hand firmly down Tobi's spine and feeling him relax atop him. Iruka didn't want to hurt his partner, didn't want to make this experience one Tobi would come to regret, so rather than rushing through preparing Tobi he took his time, spent probably a little too long working each finger into his husband and making sure he was adjusted to the stretch before moving.

"Please," Tobi begged, finally, breath hot against Iruka's clavicle as he shuddered, and Iruka stilled his hand. He shifted slightly, free hand stroking up Tobi's thigh to grip his hip as he carefully withdrew his other hand, and Tobi keened quietly, wordlessly.

"Easy," Iruka soothed, reaching for the lubricant and quickly slicking his cock once he managed to find the tube. "Up, husband mine," he ordered, and Tobi shakily sat up, his shift in position causing Iruka's cock to slide along his crack and the head to catch briefly on his rim. Iruka hissed, barely restraining the urge to buck up for more friction, and Tobi gasped aloud. "Stay still for me," Iruka managed, and when Tobi ceased moving Iruka used the hand not on his husband's hip to guide his tip to the rim he'd managed to catch previously. It was a little tricky, not being able to see, but he managed very quickly. His cock pressed against and then into Tobi slowly, the man's body slowly making way for Iruka while he tried his best to retain his control.

Iruka paused, head of his cock the only part of him inside his husband, and moved his hand away from his cock so that both of his hands were on Tobi's hips.

"Slowly," he said, almost gasped, and squeezed Tobi's hips briefly. "Slow and easy, there's no rush." Tobi gave a little whimper, the sound cutting off suddenly as if Tobi had bitten down on something, and Iruka held himself carefully still as his husband slowly sank down on his cock.

Iruka groaned and arched as Tobi stilled, ass flush to Iruka's thighs, and held tight to his husband's hips so he didn't buck the other man off of him. Tobi cried out, wordless and broken, and Iruka forced himself to remain still and let the man adjust. He wouldn't be able to tell by sight when Tobi was ready for more, and so he had to rely solely on sound and touch.

He waited, focusing on the tense thighs beneath his palms to avoid focusing on the tight heat around his cock, and then groaned again when Tobi gave a tentative shift.

"Are you alright?" he asked, slightly breathless, when Tobi whimpered atop him.

"Y-yes," Tobi gasped, and shifted again, a tentative, unpracticed rise and fall of his body that had Iruka tensing against the impulse to thrust back up into the heat of his partner's body. "More?"

Well, who was Iruka to refuse?

 

When Iruka woke, it was with the knowledge that there was something  _different,_ something not quite as he was used to.

He could feel the sunlight peeking through the shutters and falling across his back, and his front was just as warm as his back – most likely due to the body tucked into his arms.

Iruka's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as he reconsidered that thought.

No, there was still a body tucked into his arms. A very familiar body, one he'd just spent the entire night learning with every sense except sight.

Iruka took stock. His cock was half-erect – morning wood, really – and nestled into the crack of his husband's ass, which was still slightly slick from how he'd ridden Iruka the night before. He could still feel the cloth over his face, but it wasn't over his eyes anymore – it had slipped and was only half on his eyes. He tightened his arms around his husband, nuzzling his face into the back of Tobi's head and blinking bleary eyes at the dark hair before him. Nothing he didn't already know was a feature, nothing new. He would shut his eyes when Tobi woke, before he could turn to face him. He wanted to keep his promise, after all, of avoiding deliberately seeing his lover's face. He still didn't know or understand  _why,_ but he would respect Tobi's wishes.

Tobi stirred, then heaved a sigh and rolled over, and all Iruka's good intent was for nothing.

He slammed his eyes shut, but it was too late – he'd seen Tobi's face, and Tobi's eyes had been open. He knew Iruka had seen him.

Tobi froze, and Iruka squeezed his eyes shut tighter as if that would change the facts. Because he recognised his husband's face, age and scars and all. And his husband had been awake when he rolled over, had been awake and had seen that Iruka had seen him.

"I told you not to look," Tobi managed to say, and Iruka squeezed his eyes tighter shut as if that would change things.

"I didn't mean to," Iruka swore, shaking his head and tightening his arms around his husband. Not that it would do any good if Tobi decided he wanted to leave. "I'm sorry."

"I have to go," Tobi said, voice shaky, jerking himself out of Iruka's hold and rolling away. Iruka didn't dare open his eyes, waiting with bated breath to see what his lover-husband would do. "I've got to go, I can't – I don't – look after the children." There was a rustle, and then absolute silence and a distinct lack of presence.

Iruka slowly, cautiously, opened his eyes, and was met with nothing.

Tobi was gone.

 

"Please tell me where Tobi has gone," Yugito said to Iruka, three days after Tobi's disappearance. The man hadn't returned, not to see Iruka and not to see the children, and it had only been a matter of time before one of them asked after him.

"I don't know," Iruka admitted, voice quiet so as not to carry to where Fuu was keeping Gaara and Naruto occupied. Yugito levelled a surprisingly stern look his way, and he sighed. "I honestly don't. I haven't seen him in three days."

"What happened to make him leave?"

Iruka considered the girl, thoughtful, contemplating, and then decided to tell her the truth.

"I saw his face."

Yugito stiffened.

"You  _what_?" There was most definitely a warning growl to the girl's tone, and Iruka winced.

"It was an accident. I didn't shut my eyes quickly enough. I wasn't expecting him to turn around." Iruka rubbed a hand over his face tiredly. He'd barely slept since Tobi left, already used to having the other man's warm presence beside him at night.

When he looked back up, Yugito was eyeing him with a shrewdness he didn't expect from her, despite her being both jinchuuriki and kunoichi.

"You don't care who he is or what he looks like," she murmured, shrewd expression melting away into a faint smile. "You care about him."

"Of course I do," Iruka grumbled. "It's hard not to care about him. I just want to know why me seeing him means he's vanished."

"Because that was the deal," an unfamiliar voice said brusquely, and Iruka jolted to his feet, spinning to face the intruder. A tall shinobi in a cloak covered in red clouds stared down at him with dark, scruitinising eyes.

"Kakuzu-san," Yugito greeted politely.

"Go to the kids, kitten," the even taller man beside the first, Kakuzu, said cheerily, reaching out to ruffle Yugito's hair with a big, blue-skinned hand. "We've got this." Yugito hesitated, but then nodded and headed off to where the three under-tens were playing.

Iruka kept his attention on the two men before him, wary, knowing he was outclassed but more than willing to throw himself between them and the kids if they made any sort of untoward move.

"Easy, we're just here to help out," the blue-skinned man chuckled.

"Who are you?" Iruka demanded, not relaxing in the slightest, and the blue-skinned man's sharp-toothed smile broadened.

"Hoshigaki Kisame," he introduced himself. "As the kitten said, that's Kakuzu."

Both the men were wearing slashed hitai-ate, Kisame's from Kirigakure and Kakuzu's from Takigakure.

"And why are you here?"

"Konan sent us," Kakuzu said flatly. "A few weeks more and this wouldn't have been a problem, but you saw him too soon and the deal was broken." Iruka bristled a little at the accusation implied, but then forcibly calmed himself.

"What deal?" he asked, focusing on getting as much information as possible rather than taking offense to implied accusations.

"Let's take this inside. Yugito knows a bit, but not everything," Kisame suggested. "The other brats are too young to have to handle this yet."

"Fine." Iruka turned, knowing he probably shouldn't be turning his back on two (likely overpowered) missing-nin but doing it anyway, and led the way inside.

 

"Right, tell me what's going on," Iruka said when the three of them were seated around the table, and after the pair exchanged glances Kisame spoke.

"Boss made a deal with the asshole who was manipulating him and Akatsuki. If he played his games and acted out his plans without showing his face to anyone, then the asshole wouldn't interfere. If he made it a year without being discovered, the asshole would stop his manipulations. Konan's been working with the Boss on a way to get rid of asshole so the deal doesn't hold, but you saw Boss's face before they could put it into action."

Iruka took a moment to process – clearly Tobi was the 'boss' Kisame was referring to – and then buried his face in his hands with a groan.

"Of course it's something ridiculous like that," he grumbled. "If my idiot husband had  _told me_  why he didn't want me to see his face, this whole mess could have been avoided."

Kakuzu snorted, and Kisame laughed openly. Iruka sighed, and then scrubbed his hand over his tired eyes before lifting his face once more.

"Right, what can I do?"

That stopped Kisame's laughter.

"What?"

"What can I do?" Iruka repeated. "I'm not about to sit around waiting to find out what happens. I might only be a chuunin, but I'm not a civilian."

Both missing-nin regarded him in silence for a long moment, both looking thoughtful. Iruka kept his nerves and apprehension pressed right down, showing only his determination. 

"There might be something," Kakuzu said slowly, frowning, and Kisame nodded.

"We'll take you to Konan," the big blue missing-nin said, and Iruka nodded back. Then he paused.

"What about the kids?"

"I'll stay here with them, call in a couple of the others to help out," Kisame suggested. "Kakuzu can take you to Konan." Iruka hesitated, and Kisame gave him a smile that was smaller and gentler than the rest he'd shown so far. "I'll look after them," he promised. "Boss used to get me to watch them when he was busy, before he got you."

"Alright," Iruka said, somewhat reluctant. He'd come to love those kids in the short time he'd known them. He levelled a stern glare – his 'teacher look', as Anko liked to call it – at the Kiri missing-nin. "If anything happens to them, you'll find out why I had an ANBU squad tailing me at twelve."

Kisame grinned.

"Now I see why Boss likes you. I'll protect the brats, don't worry. You two should get going."

 

Konan was a woman with blue hair and an expression that looked to be carved from stone, and when Kakuzu brought Iruka to her the only indication of her surprise was the way she raised a single eyebrow.

"You bring me the man who caused our plans to fall through?" she asked of Kakuzu, and Iruka couldn't restrain an indignant noise.

"If my idiot husband had just  _told me_  why he couldn't show me his face, we could have put something in place to prevent it," he said irritably. "He didn't, I accidentally saw, and  _that_  is why your plans fell through."

Konan stared at him for an uncomfortably long time, her orange eyes sharp, and then her lips twitched into a small, faint smile.

"I had been wondering what he saw in you. Kakuzu, you may go. Tell the rest we will have a new plan soon." Kakuzu nodded and left without a word, leaving Iruka alone with the woman. She didn't move her hawklike eyes from his face, but Iruka refused to be intimidated by her, even if she could command men like Kakuzu with no problem, and so he held her gaze with stubborn determination.

Konan smiled again, and stood from her desk. She beckoned to Iruka, turning toward the door behind her, and Iruka hesitated only a second before following.

"I have an idea which may work, but I need more information before deciding on any course of action," the blue-haired woman explained as she led Iruka through the door into a dimly-lit passage.

"What do you need to know?" He wouldn't give her any secrets he knew about Konoha, but he wanted his husband back. He'd give her any information she needed if it didn't put his home village in danger.

"Did you recognise him?"

"...yes." Iruka had. He knew his husband's face, despite the changes wrought by years and scars. He'd only been a couple of years younger than the Yondaime Hokage's genin team, was actually a second cousin of the sole kunoichi on the team. Uchiha Obito, presumed dead when Iruka was ten, had been as familiar a sight to Iruka as Rin had been.

That he wasn't actually dead, was Tobi, was one of the leaders of Akatsuki... it was a bit of a shock, yes, but Iruka had nursed quite the crush on his cousin's best friend and he'd come to care deeply about his husband in their short time together.

"And your thoughts on his identity?" Iruka eyed her, and then sighed.

"I had a huge crush on him when I was younger, and I'm friends with his cousin who liked him best." Shisui would  _freak out_  when he realised his favourite older cousin was still alive. "I don't know the whole story, obviously, but I'm glad he's alive."

Konan hummed, the sound noncommittant, and paused at a door set slightly back in the side of the hallway.

"Obito has made many errors, but he has done his best to correct those he can. He was manipulated, as was our entire organisation, and I want to bring an end to that which caused me and mine harm." Her piercing gaze narrowed on Iruka's face. "I consider Obito one of mine. Should you harm him, you will not get a second chance." Iruka nodded, just once, and Konan's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Good. Come, we have much to do and little time in which to do it."

She opened the door, stepped through, and Iruka didn't hesitate to follow her.

 

It was less than a day later that the new plan was put into motion, and Iruka's part in it was bigger than he'd ever thought it would be. He was just a chuunin, a former Academy teacher, so to put so much responsibility on him when facing an  _immortal plant creature_ was kind of unexpected.

But he was determined.

The Akatsuki would, according to Konan, keep Zetsu – the immortal plant creature – busy while Iruka was tasked with finding his husband and destroying the control seals on him. Once the seals were destroyed, Obito would be able to fight back against Zetsu, and he was their best hope of killing the creature. Or sealing him away, but destruction was preferable in this case.

It was a lot to entrust to Iruka, especially when none of them knew him, but whatever Konan had seen in him – whatever Kakuzu and Kisame had seen in him – had stopped any protests from the other Akatsuki members.

Admittedly, Iruka hadn't been expecting to see Orochimaru, Jiraiya  _and_  Tsunade as Akatsuki members, but apparently Obito had managed to convince them to join once he realised Zetsu's manipulations, and Iruka was  _very_  glad to have the Legendary Sannin at his back. It was Jiraiya and Orochimaru who had come up with the means to destroy Obito's control seals, and Jiraiya had drilled the necessary knowledge into Iruka in  _very_  short time.

Tsunade was not-so-quietly terrifying in her own right, and Iruka was glad he didn't have to spend too much time with her when he saw the bloodthirsty grin on her face when they set out for where Zetsu had holed up with Obito.

The Mountains' Graveyard.

A suitably dramatic name, considering what Konan had said the original, manipulated-by-Zetsu plan was. Iruka didn't give a damn about the dramatics, though. He wanted his husband back, and he would damn well get him.

He might only be a chuunin, but he'd had an ANBU squad tailing him to keep him out of trouble since he was twelve. He could be sneaky, and he could be ruthless, and without any reason to hold back he would make damn sure he completed his task. He might not be the strongest, or the smartest, but he was tricky and a good strategist, especially on the fly.

Iruka suppressed his chakra to almost nonexistence, eyes on the entrance one of Orochimaru's smaller summons had led him to, and waited with bated breath for the signal to head inside.

 

When the third explosion sounded, larger than the previous two, Iruka took that as his cue to move. He slipped through the shadows silently, chakra still ruthlessly suppressed to nothing, heading deep into the twisting, turning series of passages and chambers which Obito had left maps of with Konan and Nagato.

He kept an ear out for anyone who may be nearby, eyesight reduced due to the gloom, and headed towards the most likely place his husband would be forced to stay.

It was silent, eerily so, as Iruka made his way through the tunnels. He knew that the large explosion wouldn't have been set off unless they had confirmed Zetsu was there, so he was almost entirely sure he was alone in the tunnels. Oh, sure, Obito was there somewhere, but there were no Zetsu clones or the original creature hanging around.

Hopefully.

A slightly brighter light ahead of him had Iruka's steps slowing, just a little, as he came closer to his target. He had to be stealthy, had to confirm the lack of Zetsu and presence of Obito before he let his presence be even hinted at.

He went over the seals in his mind one more time, and then crept up to the entrance to the room he had been looking for.

 

The cavernous space was empty, huge and echoing, the only object the bound, wrinkled husk of some huge humanoid creature.

The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

All of its eyes were shut, thankfully, and Iruka didn't spend any longer looking at the cursed thing before he was looking around for any sign of his husband.

There was something... dark, something crumpled, near the base of the statue, and had Iruka been a civilian he would have betrayed his presence by a hitch in his breathing. Could that possibly be...?

Iruka sidled around the edge of the room, keeping a wary eye out for movement other than his own, and slowly yet steadily made his way towards the unmoving lump of black-and-crimson cloth which might just be his spouse.

It was.

When Iruka got closer, he could see that same familiar-yet-strange face he'd glimpsed four mornings ago. Obito was either asleep or unconscious, but for a single heart-stopping moment he'd thought his husband dead. There was a gentle rise-and-fall of the older man's chest, though, and Iruka pushed down his unfounded panic as he moved closer.

He sank to his knees beside his husband, reaching out carefully and brushing his fingertips against the unscarred cheek that was turned towards him. Obito shifted slightly, brow furrowing, and Iruka did it again.

This time, Obito's eyes opened.

He blinked, and then his eyes widened and he jerked up into a sitting position. Iruka stayed on his knees, keeping himself calm even as Obito scrambled onto his knees and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"What are you  _doing_  here?" Obito hissed, eyes wild, and Iruka lifted one hand to press over his husband's heart.

"I'm here to get my idiot husband back where he belongs," he said flatly, bluntly, and Obito all but gaped. Iruka smiled a little. "The Sannin worked out a solution for this." He flexed his hand over Obito's heart, hinting at the control seals hidden beneath layers of fabric and skin. "It's now or never."

Obito just continued to stare, and Iruka raised his eyebrows. Obito swallowed.

"You... know who I am? What I've done?"

"Yes, Obito, I know," Iruka knew his presence was a shock, but he hadn't expected this reaction, exactly.

"And you still came here?"

"Of course I did," Iruka smiled, leaning forward and resting his forehead against Obito's. "There's no way I would ever let you foist those four brats off on me alone."

Obito laughed, a broken little thing that hitched into a sob, and Iruka's smile gentled.

"Let me help, Obito," he said quietly. "And then let's go home."

Obito nodded, lifting his hands and tugging apart his layers to allow Iruka to press his palm against bare flesh, and shut his eyes.

Iruka focused, moulding his chakra as Jiraiya had drilled into him, and applied a seal of pure chakra to his husband's shackled heart.

 

_A dozen faces shifted from determination to delighted, vicious satisfaction as chakra flared pure and fierce from deep beneath them. Another face, almost human but not quite, twisted from anger to unadulterated rage as an unholy shriek of frustrated fury echoed from the creature._

_Zetsu didn't stand a chance, not against an Obito who was unsealed and trained to be the perfect weapon. The battle between the two, between Zetsu and its would-be pawn, lasted only as long as it took for Obito to get a firm hold on the creature and vanish with Kamui._

_The Akatsuki destroyed the remaining White Zetsu clones, and then waited with bated breath for Obito to return._

_When he did, it was with a stumble and a fierce, triumphant grin that stayed on his face even as he collapsed, unconscious, into Iruka's waiting arms._

_Zetsu was defeated._

 

Iruka was exhausted, more emotionally than physically, when he finally got Obito back to the compound where the children were waiting. Kisame had switched out with the youngest Akatsuki member – one Deidara (no surname), formerly of Iwa – before the organisation's attack on the Mountains' Graveyard, and so it was the sharklike man who helped Iruka bring Obito home.

Deidara, only a couple of years older than Yugito, looked frazzled when they met them at the gates, but it didn't seem like there was anything wrong.

"The brats are asleep, un," they told Kisame and Iruka, eyeing Obito with a faint, worried frown. "Is he ok?"

"Chakra exhaustion," Iruka assured the blonde. "He'll be fine with some rest. Thank you for looking after Yugito and the kids."

"No problem,un," Deidara gave a shy smile, looking embarrassed by the appreciation directed their way. Kisame slung a big arm over the blonde's shoulders, chuckling.

"Come on, kid, let's get back." He looked to Iruka. "Take care of Boss."

"I will," Iruka nodded, and adjusted his hold on his husband before walking into the compound. Behind him, he felt the surge of chakra that signalled the use of shunshin, and he knew that if he glanced back he would not see Deidara or Kisame.

He carried Obito to their room, settling his exhausted husband down onto the bed. He carefully removed Obito's torn clothing, tossing the fabric into a corner and then pulling back the covers on the bed. He eased Obito's unconscious form in between the sheets, settling his husband's head onto a pillow and then tugging the covers up over Obito's shoulders.

Obito looked exhausted, the lines on his face not limited to his scarring. But, despite that, he looked like there had been some great big weight lifted off his shoulders, and Iruka supposed there had been.

Zetsu, the source behind most of the conflict between the nations in the past few hundred years, was gone, presumably dead. Either way, Iruka was certain the creature wouldn't be returning.

Iruka stood straight, vision greying as he swayed in exhaustion. It had been a long day, he'd used a  _lot_  of chakra to counteract the control seals on his husband, and he'd been awake and running on high emotions for a long time.

Time for bed, he decided, and shed his clothing in a matter of seconds. He slid into the bed next to his husband, yawned, and soon drifted off to sleep.

 

When Iruka woke, it was to the feeling of a warm body pressed up along his, his arms having wrapped themselves around his bed partner in the night. He was struck with a sense of déjà vu, recalling perfectly what had happened last time he woke with a warm body in his arms.

He opened his eyes, slowly, cautiously, and saw again the back of his husband's dark-haired head. Obito wasn't moving, apparently asleep rather than unconscious, and he felt so pliant in Iruka's arms that the younger man was hard pressed not to manipulate his husband into an even better position.

Obito shifted, stirred, and Iruka waited silently as his husband woke. As the last time they woke like this, Obito rolled over in his arms, and their eyes met.

This time, though, Iruka didn't shut his, instead meeting his husband's mismatched gaze calmly. Obito's eyes widened, but then realisation flashed through and he relaxed into Iruka's embrace. Iruka smiled, unable to resist leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to his husband's lips.

"Good morning," he murmured when they separated, and Obito hummed as he leaned in for another kiss. Iruka obliged, smiling still, and then tightened his hold on Obito as the powerful man tucked his head beneath Iruka's chin. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," Obito murmured, body still relaxed in Iruka's arms. "Better. Relieved."

"I'm glad," Iruka said honestly, and tilted his head to nose at his husband's dark hair. "So, what now?"

"Sleep some more, go see the brats, then worry about anything else," Obito mumbled into Iruka's clavicle. Iruka smiled.

"That sounds good. Go back to sleep then, husband mine."

 

When Iruka woke again, he was alone in the bed and sunlight was streaming through the windows. He had a moment of blind panic, jolting upright in the bed, but then he heard the familiar laughter of the jinchuuriki children and saw the crumpled pile of torn clothing he had taken off Obito the night before.

He relaxed again – his husband hadn't disappeared on him again.

Well, he hoped not. He had a feeling it would be harder to get Obito back a second (third?) time.

He dressed, not bothering to tie up his hair but running his hand through it to push it out of his face, and then headed outside in search of his husband and their kidnapped/adopted children.

Obito was maskless, laughing quietly where he lay beneath all four of his charges. They had apparently dogpiled him, but from the laughter coming from all five – even near-silent Gaara and serious Yugito – none of them were objecting to it.

It made Iruka smile, and he settled down on the edge of the porch to watch as Obito tussled with the children.

There was stuff to do, things for the two of them to discuss, but Iruka would let it wait for the moment. For now, he would just enjoy the morning, enjoy the lighthearted atmosphere between his husband and their charges.

This hadn't been his first choice, but he wouldn't change it now.

**Author's Note:**

> Admittedly there was supposed to be more (and better) smut, but this is what I ended up with.


End file.
